


Bonds, Promises, and Brothers (i miss you)

by Littlestartopaz (TopazledHannah)



Category: One Piece
Genre: Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Nakamaship, death mention, jinbe is a great man, just because you've moved on doesn't mean you can't miss someone, luffy talks about missing ace, well mostly just comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-06
Updated: 2020-05-06
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:21:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 893
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24041980
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TopazledHannah/pseuds/Littlestartopaz
Summary: On a quiet night on the thousand sunny, Jinbe and Luffy have a talk about missing people they've lost.Set ambiguously post Wano.
Relationships: Jinbei & Monkey D. Luffy
Comments: 14
Kudos: 81





	Bonds, Promises, and Brothers (i miss you)

The night sky stretches above Jinbe, as endless as the sea below. For the moment, both are peaceful. With any luck, the moment will last the night though he knows the New World waters better than to hope. But for now, he'll savor it, sitting on the grassy deck.

The silent paddling of feet is all the warning Jinbe has that his relief has come before Luffy plops down behind him. He can hear Luffy messing with something, probably one of his simple toys made by Franky or Ussop to help curb his idle energy. Luffy during the day was loud and excited, even when he sat on the figurehead. However, as Jinbe had come to learn, at night Luffy was a quiet sort of active, aided by small hand held toys to vent his excess energy.

But tonight was different. Where he usually verbally greeted whoever was on watch from across the lawn, he sat down without a word or a gesture. Which is why Jinbe stays.

The night continues around them, ever moving in the unusually soft breeze and lapping waves, and the softly clacking wood of Luffy's toy. Jinbe isn't sure how long it is before he hears Luffy sigh and then feels Luffy's head hit his back.

"Hey, Jinbe?"

"Hmmn?"

"How did you meet Ace?"

And Jinbe understands. He had heard the others mention it, that Ace had unofficially become taboo. They all knew Luffy hadn't talked about it, about the war. They all knew he probably should. But no one had the courage to bring it up when Luffy acted like he had moved on, like he was okay. Many of them had ugly pasts that Luffy had personally saved them from, but it felt like Luffy was refusing to allow them to do the same.

And now an opportunity presented itself to Jinbe, of all people. The newest to their small crew.

The only other one who really had a chance to get to know Ace before he died.

"First, you have to understand. I wasn't a Whitebeard, but I was friendly with him. He was a good man, who cared about fishmen and protected my home. So when I heard some upstart," Luffy snorts, amused, "was looking to fight him, I took it upon myself to get rid of him. I found Ace, and his crew, and fought him for five days before Ace finally beat me. Whitebeard showed up soon after, and Ace tried to attack him too. I can only guess what happened after that."

Luffy chucks that shishishi chuckle of his.

"Ace kept trying to kill me too, when we first met," Luffy pauses, clacking his toy some as he gathers his thoughts. "Gramps dumped me on Dadan after he found out about Shanks, and Ace was there. And I followed him cuz I hate bandits and being alone is the worst, but  _ he _ didn't want to be friends but that's because he was angry and lonely."

They lapse into silence again. As always when Luffy talks about himself, there is a lot to unpack in a few words. Such as the implication that Garp not only knew bandits that he hadn't arrested, but also trusted to raise his grandsons, both adopted and by blood. Also that Ace, the same boy who would years later ask Jinbe to protect his little brother when he was faced with his own death, had tried to kill Luffy. Possibly more than once. It seemed so far removed from the Ace Jinbe knew, but also it made sense. Afterall, his relationship with Whitebeard had taken a similar shape.

The steady clacking stops, and Jinbe almost turns around before Luffy speaks again.

"I just. I miss him. And it's been over two years and I have my crew. And Sabo! But…"

"They're not Ace," Jinbe supplies. He feels Luffy nod against his back.

"I don't regret it. We promised to live without regrets. But he's not  _ out there _ anymore. I'll never run into him again because he's not… he's dead."

Jinbe takes a moment to gather his thoughts. This is different from the angry, guilt ridden denial from Amazon Lily. This is the grief that festers and hides, only to crop up when you least expect it, and requires careful words of comfort, not a fight.

Idly, Jinbe wonders what brought it up tonight.

"Fisher Tiger, he was the original captain of the Sun Pirates. He made it his goal to save slaves no matter their species. And he was killed by humans," Jinbe pauses. "I still miss him, sometimes. And no one can replace him. But you keep living in a way that would make them proud, and you keep their memory alive in the little things. Like telling your crew about them. And it becomes easier to not miss them."

Luffy hums in response.

"So, there was this one time…" Luffy launches into some adventure with Ace, immediately taking his advice to heart. Time passes on gentle waves and bad storytelling, and Jinbe thinks on bonds, promises, and brothers. How they tie around each other and yield the most unlikely results. How one brother had asked Jinbe to protect the other, and how the little brother had proved over and over again why he was worthy. And although Ace is gone, he will not be forgotten. 

**Author's Note:**

> Will I ever tire of "Luffy talks to the crew about Ace"? The answer is no. And after binging a bunch I decided to add my own. I picked Jinbe because well, he also knew Ace and also there aren't enough fics with Luffy and Jinbe! He's a great character!!


End file.
